Setting Sail
by DarkPoisonousLove
Summary: Robin has a surprise for Alice that involves a certain pirate ship and the adventure of a lifetime. Fluff to the max. Written for the Curious Archer Love Library project over on tumblr.


**A/N: Some Robin and Alice goodness in celebration of their love since it's that time of the year. Reviews are greatly appreciated.**

Darkness engulfed her and Alice's heart pounded in her chest. Robin had told her she had a surprise for her and she'd let her tie a scarf around her head as a blindfold to make sure she wouldn't sneak a peak.

"Are you ready?" Robin asked, one hand wrapped securely around Alice's waist, the other on her shoulder, making her feel safe. Which was great because when she nodded in response to Robin's question, the ground beneath their feet disappeared as the familiar sensation of magic ran through her. So that was why they'd gone to Regina's – Robin had asked her aunt for help with the surprise.

Alice felt the ground under her feet again when they teleported. At least that's what she thought but then cool breeze hit her in the face. The taste of salt water in the air and the screams of the seagulls gave away their location.

She stomped her foot and heard the creaking of wood under her boot. She puled the blindfold up and, sure thing, they were aboard the Jolly Roger.

Alice turned to look at Robin. "You convinced uncle Killian to give you his ship to surprise me?" She called her papa's counterpart uncle because that was how she saw him. He was like her father's twin brother and she couldn't have been happier to get to know another version of her papa. Plus, his wife was really nice to her and Alice was happy that the both of them had found each other. And of course, there was little Hope. Their official status was cousins but Alice couldn't help but see her as a sister. And she gladly babysat the girl, spoiling her with sweets and magically produced stuffed toys until Emma scolded her to stop.

"No," Robin answered, interrupting her thoughts.

"Did you steal it?" Alice asked as she remembered the topic of the conversation, her eyes widening. She couldn't deny that the idea wasn't wholly unappealing though. Robin stealing a ship for her had a certain romantic value to it.

"No," Robin shook her head, a smile on her lips. "Although that would've been pretty cool," she said, contemplating the idea. "But no, I didn't." She took Alice's hands in hers. "I asked Wish Smee to lend me the ship."

"Wait!"

"Yeah." Robin smiled at her again. "This is your father's ship."

Alice's face lit up. "Thank you," she squeezed Robin's hands and pulled her into a kiss to show her how much she meant it. "So," Alice said when they parted, "where are we headed?"

"Somewhere special," Robin answered mysteriously and stepped away from her.

Before Alice could ask who was going to sail the ship, Robin took the steering wheel. "Are you going to sail the ship?" Alice asked, unable to hide her surprise. She didn't know Robin could do that.

"You're not the only one who's been taking lessons from your dad," Robin answered smugly.

Alice's papa had asked his counterpart to borrow his ship a few times a week and teach his starfish how to be a pirate. What he hadn't told her was that he'd also been teaching her girlfriend. Robin had really put a lot of thought and effort in her surprise, learning to sail a ship and everything.

"Now if you'll be so kind as to assist me with the anchor, we can set sail," Robin said.

"So I'm your first mate now?" Alice asked as she used her magic, taking the anchor out of the water in no time.

"You're the only mate I need," Robin said, steering the ship out of Storybrooke's harbor.

Alice looked at her boots and smiled at the horrible attempt at a pick-up line. She wasn't entirely sure that the two of them could handle a whole ship on their own, especially if a storm broke out, but it was pleasant sailing alone with Robin. Besides, she could use her magic in case of emergency. She hadn't teleported an entire ship before but she was confident she could do it. They'd tested her magic and all three Emma, Zelena and Regina had been positive she was the most powerful magic user they'd met, possibly the most powerful of all.

She took off the scarf that she'd worn around her head as a headband until now and wrapped it around her neck. She wasn't cold since Robin had told her to take a jacket but she didn't want to lose the scarf in the sea when she leaned on the railings, watching the ship cleaving the waves and enjoying the breeze on her skin. She could sense Robin's quiet presence and it filled her with serenity that even the sound of the waves couldn't provide. With Robin she felt the freedom she'd craved so desperately but was also firmly grounded and could face every problem.

She turned around to look at her love who was sailing the ship rather expertly but that was no surprise, having in mind who had taught her. Their gazes met and they shared a smile.

"Why don't you come take the wheel?" Robin suggested, having recognized Alice's desire to do so even before she'd done it herself.

Alice walked over to Robin and took control of the steering wheel. "Are you sure about this?"

"I'd let you be my captain every day," Robin said and kissed her shoulder.

Alice smiled at her antics. "But how do I know where we're headed?" she asked, refocusing on the problem at hand.

Robin moved behind her, wrapping her arms around Alice's waist and resting her chin on her shoulder. "Just sail. You'll know when we get there," she gave her cryptic answer, not wishing to disclose more information.

They sailed for hours. Or maybe they were mere seconds. Alice couldn't tell. Time didn't exist. The only thing that mattered was the blue tract in front of her and Robin's presence behind her. The sun was shining above them on a cloudless sky and Robin's arms around her waist filled her with warmth. Everything was so relaxing that she could fall asleep in the embrace of the woman she loved. And the sea seemed to agree with her as it too was calm; there was barely a ripple in the water. The ship was gliding smoothly across its surface, making the journey pleasant and easy.

Alice could stay in the moment forever but she was curious to see where they were headed. "Will you tell me where we're going?" she turned her head to side, catching a glimpse of Robin's satisfied expression.

"I can't," Robin said, causing Alice to turn more fully towards her to give her puppy dog eyes and wring the information out of her. "I can't because I don't know," she explained when she saw the expression Alice was wearing.

"What?"

"We go wherever you want to. Sail the ship to your heart's content." Robin kissed her cheek. "That's our destination," she added and let go of her, stepping away.

Alice heard her walking around behind her. She too could use some stretching; she'd barely moved since she'd taken the wheel. Besides, Robin had said to sail to her heart's content but she'd been content since they'd stepped aboard the ship. She was happy just to have Robin by her side and the open sea in front of her, offering her endless possibilities. So she decided to stop and anchor the ship and take a break.

"Are we there?" Robin asked behind her back.

"We've been there since the very begin-" Alice spoke as she turned around but the words died in her throat when she saw Robin drop on one knee and hold up a small wooden box. Her eyes filled with tears and she covered her mouth with her hand to not start sobbing right at the middle of Robin's proposal.

"Alice Jones," Robin said, "I'm asking you to do me the honor of becoming my wife. My love for you's been welling up in my heart since we met and it's become an endless ocean. Will you set sail with me?" she asked as she opened the box to reveal the engagement ring. Three different layers of silver overlapped, forming the shape of waves adorned with a constellation of little blue gems that looked like waterdrops and were the exact shade of Robin's eyes.

"How?" Alice asked as she ran the tip of her finger over them, the tears flowing down her cheeks. It was all she could say. She couldn't take her eyes off the ring, mesmerized by its beauty.

"Mom helped color them with magic since it would've been impossible to find diamonds that came exactly in that shade of blue," Robin explained.

Alice looked at her in awe. It'd been months since Zelena had last come to Storybrooke. So that meant that Robin had taken all that time to plan the perfect proposal. And she'd succeeded. Alice was speechless.

"Well, what do you say?" Robin asked. Despite the smile on her face, Alice could tell she was nervous. As if there was a chance she'd deny.

She leaned down and kissed Robin, the passion of the gesture almost causing them both to topple over but Robin grabbed Alice's shoulder with her free hand and steadied them, returning the fervent kiss. Alice didn't want to pull away but she wanted to accept the proposal after all.

"Yes," she finally found her words when she pulled back and the radiant smile Robin gave her mirrored her own.

Robin took the ring out of the box and Alice held out her hand so that she could slip it on her finger. She rubbed her thumb over it affectionately, unable to contain her elation.

A sudden though had her grab Robin's hand just as her now-fiancee was standing up.

"What is it?" Robin asked, alerted by Alice's action.

"I want to give you a ring too," Alice said, her mind racing with possibilities.

"No, that's not-"

Robin's sentence was interrupted when Alice's magic created a delicate green stem with the smallest leaves Robin had ever seen and made it wrap around the ring finger of the hand Alice was holding. It formed four circles that parted–two bent slightly upwards and the other two bent downwards a bit–to make space between them. A pearl appeared, conjured by Alice's magic, and nestled itself between the circles. The stem was then plated in silver securing the pearl in place and forming an engagement ring.

Alice looked up at her fiancee. "Do you like it?" she asked, the nervousness she'd observed in Robin before now filling her.

"Oh, Alice, I love it," Robin said as she met her gaze, tears glistening in her eyes. "Thank you," she pulled her into a tight hug. "Here," she said when they parted, handing her the wooden box in which Alice's engagement ring had been, "this is also for you. It's made of old parts of the Jolly Roger that Smee had to replace."

Alice took it, new tears streaming down her face. She now had her own little treasure chest made from material that had once been part of her father's ship. She brought Robin's hand to her lips and placed a kiss on the back of her fingers. "Thank you," she whispered, knowing that all the words in the world couldn't properly express how much all of that meant to her.

"Come, let's eat," Robin said, aware that Alice would need some time to recover from the intense emotions.

The two had a picnic on deck with the food Robin had brought. Though food was probably not the right word since it was mostly different fruits covered in different kinds of candy. Alice had half a mind to put a protection spell on her and Robin's teeth to preserve them from all that sugar. Eventually, she decided against it, unsure if she had enough control to execute it properly with all her emotions running loose. Her magic was strong but that meant she had to exercise great control over it and delicate spells sometimes proved to be a bit difficult. But it was definitely something she had to consider for the future if Robin intended to keep it up with the sugary food.

After eating what was certainly an unhealthy amount of candy-covered fruits, they were ready to sail back home but something stopped Alice. "What if I want to come back to the place where we got engaged?" she turned to Robin. "How would I find it?"

"You just get on your ship and sail to your heart's content," Robin wrapped her arms around Alice's neck, "and when you feel happy you'll know you've reached the right place." She pulled Alice into a kiss, making for a grand finale of the most magical day they'd both had in their lives.

They turned the ship around and headed home. They sailed it together, standing next to each other at the steering wheel, and Alice rested her head on Robin's shoulder. They were heading into the unknown and Alice couldn't wait for their life as a married couple to begin. She had the feeling it would be her favorite adventure.


End file.
